K40 – Our Choice for Radar & Laser Detectors

CAR Audio & Security has been a dealer of K40 product for years. For several years now, their only unique products were those that were “stealth”, meaning no display was mounted anywhere. They were basically hidden. There’s nothing wrong with that, however, they have introduced new features that even the typical window mounted unit has.

K40’s lineup includes the RL100, RL200 and RL360 models. I’ll briefly describe each but I will give more space to the new features.

Before I describe each of these units I want to first describe the coolest feature all three have. Let’s say you travel a road, often or not, that has several speed traps. Uh, I mean speed limit changes. Well, I’ll use Chris and myself for example. When we drive up to see family at Kerr Lake we travel a lot of two lane country roads. The speed limit fluctuates a lot; anywhere between 35mph and 55mph. If you get lost in your music or in conversation or you happen to be one those people that can totally lose consciousness while driving and still get to your destination safely but not remember any of the trip, then the GPS feature is your friend. This is not navigation GPS. This is GPS in its most basic form. Locating!

After Chris installed this on our truck we had the opportunity to test this beauty of a feature. The GPS is activated by the “Mark” button on the unit’s remote. It takes very little effort but you will have to stay conscious when using it the first time to use it successfully. Every time we came upon a speed trap, I mean speed limit change; I would simply press the “Mark” button once. Not only would I do this entering the new speed zone but also as the speed limit increased back up to 55mph; so I don’t have to remind Chris to speed up. So with every entrance and exit I pressed “Mark”. Doing this “marks” the spot so to speak. That’s it. That’s all you have to do.

On the return trip home after the programming trip to the lake we were able to see the results in action. Every “mark” I programmed gave us a slight and not annoying beep 1500 feet in advance of the “mark” and then gives a two-tone beep when you cross the actual “mark”. It’s pointless to have a “mark” without a little notice if the law is waiting there for you at the speed change. It worked great and has allowed us to enjoy the ride and not worry if we missed the speed changes throughout this 28 mile section of road.

This feature is great for those monotonous drives on two-lane roads and highways alike where the speed changes frequently enough to cause you to stress and wonder if you are speeding or if you are even going as fast as legally allowed.

The K40 RL100 is the portable radar and laser detector. It mounts on your window and you can plug it into your power port or hardwire it if you don’t plan on using it as a portable unit. It is a clean little unit and notifies you of which band is setting off the alerts. You can add laser defusers to this unit as well and be protected even further.

The K40 RL200 and RL360 are the two “stealth” models. “Stealth” meaning there is no window mounted or any other mounted display. Your only indicators are tones, programmed voice alerts and LEDs mounted somewhere on your dash to give you a visual alert in case your music is blasting. These are good units to have while driving through areas where radar detectors are illegal. I can assure it works because a little incident this past weekend called for some assistance from a very nice Sheriff’s deputy passing by and my illegal radar detector was not seen. My LEDs were flashing like crazy but those and the whole system can be powered off if needed.

The RL200 is the single remote radar and laser detector. Again you will not see anything except the LEDs if you choose to have them mounted. The sensors are installed in the front and you will not be protected from the rear of the vehicle. The RL360 is the dual remote radar and laser detector. It again is “stealth” and nothing will be seen except the LEDs. The sensors are installed in the front and rear giving you full protection. Laser defusers can be added to these systems as well for even more protection. There is a single laser kit for smaller vehicles and it would be installed in the front. There is also a dual laser defuser. If you have a larger vehicle it would be recommended that the two be installed in the front and the single in the rear.

Another feature is “Quiet Mode”. You can program your radar detector to not alert you audibly if you are driving under a certain speed limit. We set ours for 35mph so that when driving by grocery stores or even through town and there is a police officer we won’t have to deal with the noise. We chose this because it’s always noticeable when you are driving through these types of locations and the speed limit itself is pretty obvious. This was also helpful when the helpful sheriff’s deputy was parked behind me. My indicator LEDs were going nuts but I didn’t hear a thing. It’s so annoying to be parked in a parking lot and you have to turn your radar detector off because it keeps screaming at you. Now you won’t have to.

All of these products come with a one year warranty. An extended warranty can also be purchased for up to an additional 36 months. K40 also guarantees against speeding tickets. If you receive a speeding ticket they will reimburse you for the cost of the ticket. If you have the RL200 or RL360 there is also a theft warranty. If either of these is stolen, K40 will replace the unit.

We have never been disappointed by any of K40’s products and they are improving them year by year. We look forward to see what else K40 will think of. If you need any more information please give CAR Audio & Security a call or check K40 out at www.k40.com.

**The picture shown is of the remote with the RL200 and RL360 and because Chris couldn’t help himself the remote is flushed into his extra “pop – out” cup holders. MENTION THIS BLOG AND RECEIVE 20% OFF EITHER OF THESE 3 PRODUCTS MENTIONED.

4 Responses

I’ve used a 8500 with a visor clip on my 2004 suburban since new, and the detcteor works flawlessly up there. Couple this with a direct wire cord either to the fuse block or the powerport on the rear view mirror and you have a truly built in look. I laugh when I see people with the suction cups and wires going all over the place. What a mess !! 2 other reasons to use a clip: 1) my neighbor who is a police officer has told me that it REALLY irritates him when he pulls over a car and their fuzzbuster is in plain view stuck to the windshield. Any hopes of getting off with a warning thereby go down the drain. 2) thieves see a detcteor stuck to the windshield and SMASH, its stolen !!

Suzanne minter

I have purchased 2 of the k40radar detectors and I know I filled out the warranty info – well Sunday morning a thief broke into my car and took the one I purchased around April 2015 I need the serial number if possible I can not find my box .